RECOMMENDATION:
That
a Public Meeting be held to consider the application submitted by Wykland
Estates Inc. (Mattamy Homes) (ZA 04
014002) for zoning by-law amendment to permit additional commercial uses along Bur Oak Avenue south of 16th
Avenue within
draft approved plan of subdivision 19TM-030003.
PURPOSE:
The
purpose of this report is to provide preliminary information regarding an
application for zoning by-law amendment to permit additional commercial uses
and to recommend that a public meeting be scheduled to obtain public comments.
BACKGROUND:
Property and Area Context
The
subject lands comprise 12 blocks, accommodating 53 units, fronting on future Bur Oak Avenue between 16th Avenue and White’s Hill Avenue within the Cornell
Community. They are part of plan of subdivision
19TM-030003, which was draft approved by Council on July 8,
2003.
This plan of subdivision is currently being
serviced. Final plans have not yet been
released for registration.
Official Plan and Zoning
The subject lands are designated “Community
Amenity Area – Corridor” in the Cornell Secondary Plan. This designation permits a range of
residential, commercial and institutional uses in buildings up to 6 storeys in
height.
The majority of the subject lands are zoned
“Community Amenity Three”, which permits medium density residential, personal
service and office uses. Three blocks on the east side of future Bur Oak Avenue south of 16th Avenue are currently zoned
“Residential Two”, which permits residential uses only.
Proposal
The applicant proposes to
develop the subject lands with townhouse form mixed-use buildings, as follows:
- Each unit will be 7 metres (23 feet) wide and two to three storeys high.
- The front elevations facing Bur Oak Avenue will incorporate storefront architectural features (see Figure
5).
- Purchasers will have the option to have the ground floor level
outfitted for either commercial use or a bachelor apartment, with a one or
two level residential unit above.
(While a few of the units may initially be
constructed with a commercial unit at the ground floor level, it is
anticipated that the majority will initially be constructed with a ground
floor apartment unit, with zoning permission to convert to commercial use
over time.)
- The ground floor area potentially available in each unit for
commercial use will be approximately 60 square metres (650 square
feet).
- All of the buildings will be constructed to allow the ground floor
level to be occupied by either residential or commercial uses,
facilitating future conversions.
- Each unit will provide a total of four on-site parking spaces at
the rear of the property accessed from a lane.
The applicant has applied
to amend the zoning by-law to:
- Rezone the subject lands which are currently zoned “Residential
Two” to “Community Amenity Three”
- Broaden the use permissions in the “Community Amenity Three” zone
to permit the following uses – bake shops, medical offices, convenience
retail stores, financial institutions, repair shops and retail stores.
- Permit café/restaurant uses at two specific locations in the
vicinity of the small park fronting on Bur Oak Avenue. (see Figure 4)
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSAL:
As the Main Street of Cornell, Bur Oak Avenue is intended to accommodate a mix of
commercial, higher density residential and institutional uses. In the short term, there is only a very
limited market for commercial use at this location. However, over time as the Cornell Community
grows and matures, it is anticipated that a market will develop for commercial
use. The requested zoning by-law
amendment will provide the owners of these units with the certainty that they
can convert the ground floor to a range of commercial uses once the market
develops, facilitating the evolution of this section of Bur Oak Avenue into a real commercial “Main Street.”
CONCERNS/ISSUES
TO BE RESOLVED:
The four on-site parking spaces provided by each unit will satisfy the
requirement in the Town’s parking by-law for either fully residential or mixed
residential-general commercial use.
However, because the on-site parking spaces will be located to the rear,
it is anticipated that most commercial customers will park on the street in
front of the units. In anticipation of
this demand, parking bays have been incorporated into the design of this
section of Bur Oak Avenue to ensure that on-street parking will always be
available in front of the subject units.
The two units requested for restaurant/café use will not be able to
provide sufficient on-site parking to satisfy the requirement for restaurant
use. However, given the small scale of
potential restaurant use and the availability of on-street parking in the
vicinity, this not of concern to staff.
The requested zoning by-law amendment should include a maximum unit size
for commercial uses consistent with the applicant’s development proposal to
ensure that only small “neighbourhood scale” commercial establishments are
permitted.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no financial matters to be considered in
this report.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no
environmental matters to be considered in this report.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The applications have been
circulated to various Town departments and external agencies and are currently
under review. Requirements of the Town
and external agencies will be reflected in the preparation of the zoning by-law
amendment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1: Location
Figure 2: Area Context
Figure 3: Air Photo
Figure 4: Draft Approved
Plan
Figure 5: Preliminary
Front Elevations
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Valerie Shuttleworth,
M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director of Planning &
Urban Design
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Jim
Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Commissioner of Development
Services
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Q:\Development\Planning\APPL\ZONING\04
014002 Wykland Estates Inc\Preliminary Rep.doc
APPLICANT / AGENT: Dan
Leeming
The Planning Partnership
1255
Bay Street, Suite 201
Toronto,
Ontario
M5R
2A9 Tel:
(416) 975-1556, ext. 30
Fax:
(416) 975-1580
LOCATION MAP:
